Open budget index

South Africa is one of handful of countries that provide extensive information about its government's budget, according to the new Open Budget Index, created by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a research outfit. The index is based on a survey of 85 countries, only five of which scored more than 80 points. The scores rise with the clarity, scope and availability of documents on public spending. The average index score was just 39, indicating a low level of transparency—tending to encourage the wasteful and corrupt use of public money. The worst offenders, with scores between zero and 20, are often poor countries. But this group also includes some middle-income countries, such as China and Nigeria.